The Final Destination series, which ran from 2000 to 2011, included five films and became one of the biggest horror franchises of the 2000s. Although the last movie was released over a decade ago, Final Destination: Bloodlines is set to come out next year to celebrate the franchise’s 25th anniversary.
The series’ concept is now widely known: each film starts with the main character having a vision of a deadly event. The character realizes what’s about to happen and escapes with a few others just before the disaster strikes.
However, Death is not done with them, and one by one, the survivors meet their end through grisly and bizarre accidents, showing they were never meant to survive the original event.
This straightforward idea makes it easy to replicate the formula, but it also risks becoming repetitive. The excitement of watching a Final Destination movie comes from seeing the creative ways the writers find to kill off the characters and how well the special effects team handles the elaborate disaster scenes.
The franchise’s most memorable moments are often the initial disasters that kick off the plot. With five films in the series, it’s only natural that some are better than others. Let’s revisit these opening disasters.
The Final Destination (2009) Race Track Disaster
It’s hard to beat the highway pile-up from Final Destination 2 when it comes to car crashes. That’s why it’s a bit disappointing that the fourth movie, simply called The Final Destination, starts with another car-related disaster. This film is widely regarded as the weakest in the series.
The story follows Nick, a college student, and his girlfriend Lori, who go to a car race with friends during their semester break. The first sign of trouble comes when a race car leaves the pit with a tire that wasn’t fully secured.
This small mistake leads to flaming cars, tires, and debris flying into the stands, causing part of the building to collapse. Nick wakes up from his vision just in time to get himself and a few others out of harm’s way.
The Final Destination was the first movie in the franchise to be made in 3D, and it’s clear that many of the death scenes were chosen for how they would look in that format, rather than how realistic they seemed. For example, one man is impaled on a stake, a car tire decapitates a girl, and debris cuts a couple in half.
Even in a series known for its unbelievable accidents, the deaths in this sequence are so ridiculous that they become almost funny. While the race track scene is not the most memorable part of the movie, the pool disemboweling scene later in the film leaves a stronger impression.
Final Destination 3 (2006) Rollercoaster Disaster
Wendy (played by Mary Elizabeth Winstead), her boyfriend, and their friends visit an amusement park to celebrate their graduation. They decide to ride a rollercoaster called Devil’s Flight, but Wendy feels uneasy even before her terrifying vision.
She notices warnings everywhere, from leaking hydraulic fluid to the creepy skeleton decorations in line. The theme park staff even remind riders to secure loose items before the ride begins.
But one kid insists on recording the ride with his camcorder, and when the camera falls onto the tracks, it causes the cars to derail.
Rollercoaster accidents are rare, but the idea of dying during a fun activity like this is unsettling. Final Destination 3 effectively captures the horror of such an accident.
However, this disaster feels less realistic than others in the series. The first movie features a plane crash, which makes sense that everyone on board would die.
But in a rollercoaster accident, it’s unlikely that every single rider would perish. Despite this, the scariest part of Final Destination 3 might be the outdated portrayal of women.
.The camera lingers on teen girls in revealing clothing, and a boy takes inappropriate photos of a classmate, making for an uncomfortable and truly frightening experience.
Final Destination (2000) Airplane Disaster
The original Final Destination remains a classic, even if its opening disaster—a plane crash—is relatively common compared to other films in the series. Fear of dying in a plane crash is widespread, so the sequence doesn’t bring much novelty.
However, the vision in this movie is portrayed in such vivid detail that it’s still memorable. Alex (played by Devon Sawa), the main character, witnesses everything from passengers getting sucked out of an emergency exit to himself burning alive.
The scene was reportedly inspired by a real-life incident that series creator Jeffrey Reddick read about in a news article.
In the film, Alex is a high school student traveling to Paris for a class trip. After his terrifying vision, he causes a commotion that results in him and several classmates being removed from the flight. As they argue in the airport, the plane explodes right before their eyes.
Alex’s ability to predict the plane’s destruction makes him suspicious in the eyes of the authorities, but keep in mind that Final Destination came out before the September 11 attacks, so his behavior wasn’t seen as a national security threat.
Aside from the disaster, the movie’s early 2000s vibe is evident, with stars like Ali Larter and Seann William Scott and fashion trends like tube tops and pastel cardigans.
Final Destination 5 (2011) Suspension Bridge Disaster
Bridge collapses have been real-life nightmares, with some incidents claiming hundreds of lives at once. Although improvements in construction have made these tragedies less frequent, the idea of a bridge collapse is still terrifying.
Final Destination 5 uses this fear as the basis for its opening scene. The movie shifts away from the typical teen characters and focuses on adult workers.
Sam (Nicholas D’Agosto) and his co-workers are heading to a company retreat when Sam has a vision of the bridge they’re on collapsing.
Due to construction work and strong winds, the structure begins to fall apart, sending cars and people plummeting into the water.
This scene is both dramatic and nerve-wracking, with cracks forming in the pavement and suspension cables snapping.
The fear of heights also plays a role as several characters dangle above the water, desperately trying to hold on. While this film was also made in 3D, Final Destination 5 manages to pull off the format much better than its predecessor, making the bridge collapse sequence stand out as one of the best in the series.
Final Destination 2 (2003) Freeway Disaster
Final Destination 2 begins one year after the plane crash from the first movie. Kimberly (played by A.J. Cook) is on her way to spring break with friends when she has a horrific vision of a massive highway pile-up.
Anyone who’s ever driven behind a logging truck has probably imagined what might happen if one of the logs came loose.
In Kimberly’s vision, a log does break free, impaling a driver and setting off a deadly chain reaction of crashes and explosions. The highway is soon engulfed in flames, with fuel leaking everywhere and igniting.
Realizing her vision is coming true, Kimberly blocks the on-ramp with her car, preventing those behind her from becoming victims of the accident.
This smart decision, which also involves a police officer, saves lives. The freeway disaster in Final Destination 2 is perhaps the most famous scene in the franchise.
Even people who haven’t seen the movie are familiar with the logging truck accident, which has become a common fear for many. The deaths in this scene feel the most relatable, as a highway crash could easily happen to anyone on the road.
